It is well known that motor vehicles provide transportation for many. Whether it is for business or leisure, there are many situations when owners or users desire those vehicles be transported, i.e. without being driven. This is specifically applicable to motorcycles and personal watercraft. This is partly because most engines have an estimated life span associated with their operation, the vehicle is inoperable, or because of environmental conditions that may subject the vehicle to damage when driven. Most vehicles are transported either commercially or personally. Commercial transportation is typically accomplished through large trucks, vans, or covered trailers.
Commercial transportation is generally expensive and significantly increases in cost based on the type of vehicle being hauled and the distance traveled. As gas continues to increase, so does the costs associated with transportation. It is partly because of these costs that many owners find commercial transportation of their vehicles undesirable, specifically if the vehicle is being hauled over a long distance or if the vehicle requires multiple trips over a short period of time. Moreover, many owners desire to personally supervise the transport of their vehicle. As such, many owners personally transport their vehicles. Taking motorcycles for example, many owners transport their motorcycles on the bed of a pickup truck or trailer. In order to load and unload the motorcycle, the owner is required to utilize the help of ramp. These ramps can be problematic as they require the edges to be aligned, secure, and co-planar with the edge of the bed of truck or trailer to be effectively loaded and unloaded. Failure to achieve these conditions may cause the ramp to slip, thereby causing damage to the motorcycle or the person loading the motorcycle. These ramps are also independent of the trailer, such that the owner is compelled to also buy a ramp that is sized to effectively load the motorcycle. Further, as the ramp is placed at what is generally a steep angle, the motorcycle requires a running start to climb the ramp.
There are some known trailers may be lowered to allow an owner to load and unload a motorcycle without the use of a ramp. Generally, these trailers are unstable when the motorcycle is being loaded and require the trailer to be previously connected to the hitch of a car, van, or truck. Moreover, some known trailers tilt so they can be loaded and unload, but they experience some of the same problems associated with the steep angle as described above. Further, when the motorcycle is unloaded or loaded, the motorcycle trailer abruptly and forcefully rotates toward the direction of the motorcycle. Most known trailers are also unable to distribute the weight toward the back end of the trailer so that the front end may be lifted without much force.
There are some known trailers that are operable to initially load and unload a motorcycle without the use of a steep ramp by utilizing a set of frames connected at two or more pivot points. These trailers fail, however, to keep the motorcycle on a generally planar surface when the trailer is translating from a loading position to a transporting position. As such, the owner is still required to make sure the motorcycle is securely fastened to one of the frames. Furthermore, some known trailers that have an inner and outer frame used to load and unload a motorcycle also have the lifting and lowering mechanism located distally away from the pivot points of the inner and outer frame. These trailers produce a frame configuration that generates an increased mass moment of inertia. Furthermore, an off-balance center of mass is also generally created toward the front end of the trailer. As such, the owner is required to exert more force to lift and lower the frame used to the load the motorcycle. Further, as the sole pivot point of the inner and outer frames is located at the back end of the trailer and the weight of the inner frame is disproportionally located toward the front end, the trailer takes a greater amount of time to be fully lowered and raised. Lastly, some known trailers utilize one or more hydraulic pumps or actuators to lower and raise the trailer, but these trailer systems are costly to purchase and maintain.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.